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Example: All reports are tagged with appropriate terms (used to filter search results). Reports about economic activity of Boston students would have Massachusetts, Students and Economics as terms. Reports of National scope will have the National tag. Most reports will have multiple tags.

Research

Requirements for earned legalization (such as English proficiency, employment, continuous presence and monetary fines) could have different effects on the ability of unauthorized men, women and children to gain legal status. This Policy Brief examines requirements proposed in the five major legalization bills proposed by Congress since 2006.

Advances in translation and interpretation technology have given language access professionals a multitude of options for breaking down language barriers. However, with different and seemingly complex types of technologies now available, selecting the right technology system can be a challenge. And because language access needs vary immensely, rarely do agencies or service organizations have translation and interpretation needs that can be met the same way.

This report provides an overview of available technologies, discussing their purposes, costs and benefits.

The section 287(g) program, which delegates federal immigration enforcement powers to state and local officers, is not targeted primarily at serious offenders. Despite public statements by Obama administration officials that the program is primarily aimed at identifying and removing “dangerous criminals,” Migration Policy Institute researchers found that about half of 287(g) activity involves noncitizens arrested for misdemeanors or traffic offenses.

With Congress likely to consider new mandates involving E-Verify, the currently voluntary employment eligibility verification system, this article examines the strengths and weaknesses of E-Verify, which has grown dramatically in recent years.

It also discusses proposals for reform, including adding biometric screening to the system.

While sweeping reform to fix a US immigration system widely acknowledged as broken has taken a backseat politically, opportunities exist within the executive branch to improve the ways in which the nation's existing immigration laws and policies are administered.

This report, the second in a joint project of MPI and the European University Institute examining US and European immigration systems, details the post-9/11 programs and agreements implemented by US and European governments to identify terrorists and serious transnational criminals through the collection and processing of increasing quantities of traveler data.

The report analyzes how governments, which once focused their screening primarily on a traveler's nationality ("sorting countries"), increasingly are examining personal characteristics ("sorting individuals").

US-Mexico relations on migration, dating back to the 1890s, have gone through several distinct phases: from an era of laissez faire policies to the Bracero Program, from a more unilateral US policy approach to Mexico's "policy of no policy" stance, and to the current post-9/11 enforcement focus.

This report traces the evolution of bilateral migration relations and offers some lessons for the US-Mexico relationship going forward. The history suggests that cooperation, while difficult, is not impossible and can offer benefits for both countries.

For decades, some immigrant-receiving countries have experimented with policies designed to encourage unauthorized immigrants to leave without the cost, legal barriers and political obstacles that result from removals or forced returns.

Sociologist Tomás Jiménez examines the integration of immigrants in the USA across five indicators: language proficiency, socioeconomic attainment, political participation, residential locale and social interaction with host communities. Jiménez finds the recent inflow of immigrants is integrating reasonably well—and learning English faster than ever before—almost entirely without the help of policy intervention.